Watford Sacks Head Coach Tom Cleverley After Disappointing Season
Watford Football Club has announced the sacking of head coach Tom Cleverley, according to reports from Sky Sports. The decision comes after a disappointing season that saw the team finish 14th in the Championship, with only five league wins in 2025.
Cleverley, a former Watford player, was appointed as head coach on an initial interim basis in March 2024. He was later handed the job full-time after impressing with a run of seven games, losing only once. However, the team struggled in the second half of the 2024/25 season, leading to his eventual dismissal. This marks the 10th managerial change at Watford in the last five years, highlighting the club’s instability in recent times.
According to Sky Sports, Watford had a promising run towards the end of March, sitting just four points off the play-offs. However, a poor run of form in the final seven games saw them finish 11 points adrift of the top six. The team’s struggles ultimately led to Cleverley’s sacking, with sporting director Gian Luca Nani citing the need for a change to build on what he believes is a young and talented squad.
In a statement, Nani said: "The time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefitted from the experience of the Championship this season." Cleverley leaves Watford as their longest-serving head coach since Javi Gracia, who was dismissed in 2019. He is also the first to last more than a season since Gracia’s departure.
The managerial merry-go-round at Watford continues, with 21 permanent managers appointed since Gino Pozzo took over the club in June 2012. A staggering 15 of those managers have lasted less than a full campaign, highlighting the club’s struggles to find stability in recent years. As Watford looks to rebuild and find consistency, the appointment of a new head coach will be crucial in shaping the team’s future.
As reported by Sky Sports, Cleverley’s departure marks another chapter in Watford’s ongoing managerial saga. The club will be hoping that their next appointment will bring the stability and success that has eluded them in recent years. With a young and talented squad in place, the future looks bright for Watford, but for now, the focus is on finding a new head coach to lead the team forward.
The news of Cleverley’s sacking will come as a disappointment to fans, who had high hopes for the team at the start of the season. However, with the Championship being a highly competitive league, Watford will be looking to regroup and come back stronger next season. As Sky Sports reports, the club is expected to move quickly in appointing a new head coach, with the aim of restoring stability and pushing for promotion in the near future.
